TNF and cancer: The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α (n=89 vs n=336, 8.7 vs 6.9 pg/ml, p=0.004, cancer vs non-cancer patients), IL-6 (n=138 vs n=350, 12.8 vs 4.9 pg/ml, p<0.0001, cancer vs non-cancer), and IL-2R (n=79 vs n=340, 615 vs 535 U/ml, p=0.012, cancer vs non-cancer), and infection-related biomarkers, like procalcitonin (n=161 vs n=251, 0.3 vs 0.1 ng/ml, p=0.0041) and C-reactive protein (n=91 vs n=246, 46.4 vs 40.7 mg/L, p=0.047), were higher in cancer patients.